Snap-on bottle base



Feb. 15, 1949. P. A. DERHAM 2,461,968

SNAP-ON BOTTLE BA SE Filed July 28, 1945 /NVENTO/? PhL {p A Dark am BYATTORNEY Patented Feb. 15, 1949 SNAP-N BOTTLE BASE Philip A. Derham,Rosemont, Pa., assignor to Victor Metal Products Corporation,

Brooklyn,

N. Y., a corporation of New York Application July 28', 1945, Serial No.607,566

Claims.

This invention relates to bases for bottles or the like articles andparticularly to that type of such bases as may be easily attached to andremoved from the bottle.

The invention contemplates the provision of an inexpensive base readilymoldable of plastic material and quickly and easily attached to thebottom of a glass bottle or the like article provided with a bead, by atwisting movement, and when so attached being firmly secured in place bythe inherent resiliency thereof.

The invention further contemplates the provision of a moldable snap-onbase provided with suitable holding lugs adapted removably to engage acooperating bead at the bottom of a bottle or the like article, saidbase being provided with means to identify the bottle or its contents.

The invention further contemplates the provision of a flexible splitbase braced by means of an integral but flexible member and providedwith two rows of alternating vertically spaced apart lugs between whichrows the bead of a bottle or similar article may be inserted when thebase is first slightly twisted and spread, the bracing member permittingsuch.

twisting because of its form and arrangement.

The various objects of the invention will become clear from thedescription which follows and from the drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the base.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof partly in section and showing indash-dot lines the position assumed by the bottle when assembled to thebase.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the base in a twisted position such asthat assumed thereby when the base is to be inserted into place orremoved from the bead, showing how one part of the base may be separatedfrom the other.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical section of the base taken on the line44 of Fig. 1 showing in dash-dot lines part of the bottom of the bottleresting on one of the lugs of the lower row.

Fig. 5 is a similar section taken on the line 5--5 of Fig. 1 showing theholding lugs on an enlarged scale.

In the practical embodiment of the invention shown by way of example,the base It and all of its component parts are integrally molded of asingle piece of suitable material such as synthetic plastic. The majorpart of the base comprises the annular part or rim ll provided with theintegral diametrically disposed brace t2, the lower surface it of whichis preferably coplanar with the lower surface of the rim, whereby asurface of substantial area is provided to rest on a support such as adisplay counter,

table or the like. The brace i2 is preferably though not necessarily ofrectangular cross section-throughout, being comparatively wide and thinto provide wide upper and lower surfaces thereon. Consequently the bracemay readily be bent, twisted or flexed when the entire base is distortedwithout materially affecting thew supporting function of the brace.

To permit the twisting above referred to, the rim ll is split or severedat one-point thereof arranged preferably midway between the ends of thebrace l2 to provide the free end faces I5, l6 thereon, which faces arenormally in contact with each other due to the inherent resiliency ofthe rim and its tendency to contract. The lower part i! of the rim ispreferably thicker than the upper part [8 thereof, the bevelled orconical outer surface l9 connecting the outer cylindricalsurfaces 26,and2! of said lower and upper parts respectively. The common inner surface22 of said parts 26 and 2| is preferably upright or cylindrical.However, the surface 22 is interrupted by two rows of holding lugs as 25and 26 respectively.

As best seen in Fig. 5, the upper lugs '25 are integral with and projectinwardly from the thinner upper part l8 of the rim and are made as thinas possible consistent with the function thereof, being of about thesame thickness as that of the brace I2. While the upper faces of thelugs 25 are preferably coplanar with the upper face of the rim, theunder faces. 21 are preferably concave to fit the projecting convex bead28 on the bottom of the bottle 29. The lugs 25 are spaced apartcircumferentially of the rim a distance about equal to thecircumferential length of the lower lugs 26 for ease in molding the lugsintegrally with the rim.

Since the lower lugs 26 sustain the weight of the article to which thebase is attached, said lugs are considerably higher or thicker than theupper lugs. The spacing between adjacent lower lugs is about equal tothe circumferential lengths of the upper lugs, while the upper surfacesof the lugs 26 are concave to fit the under side of the bead 28. Thelowermost surfaces 30 of the lower lugs are preferably coplanar with thelower surfaces of the rim and of the brace.

Upstanding from the rim H is the member 3! preferably of-about the samethickness as that of the upper part iii of the rim, and preferablyshaped to fit the bottle or other article maintain it in that shape.

29. Identifying ornamental or other matter as 32 may be imprinted uponor otherwise impressed into the outer surface of the member 3i. Saidmember serves not only to carry such matter, but serves also as astifiener to prevent undue distortion of the front or unsplit part ofthe rim. The upper and lower lugs may be omitted at points whereexcessive difiiculty may be experienced in assembling the bottlewith thebase or in molding the lugs. For example, the lugs are preferablyomitted across the width of the upstanding member 3|.

It will now be seen that by twisting the base l out of its normal planeinto approximately the position shown in Fig. 3,"the end l6 of the rimis arranged in suflicient-vertical spaced relation to the normallyadjacent end 15 thereof'zto provide a space through which the bead 28and the lower part of the bottle may be passed to a suflicient extent toarrange part of the bead at the'less distorted front part of the rim andbetween the upper and lowerrows-of lugs thereon. The ends [5 and I6 ofthe base may now be spread laterally enough to carry the lower lugs pastthe upper part of the bead and into contact with the lower part of thebead or to make any other necessary adjustments to snap the base inplace with the bead between and 'held by the upper and lower'rows oflugs. Since the base is molded into an initial shape such as to 'fit thebead snugly, the base has an inherent resiliency tending to restore itto its original shape and to Hence the base snugly fits and holds thebead until deliberately removed therefrom.

Removal is readily effected by reversing the operation above described,that is, by merely twisting the base ofi the bead. It will be seen thatI have provided an inexpensive ornamental identifying base easilymolded'in one piece, easily attached to and detached from "the beadedbottomof an article'to which attachment of bases is otherwise difficult,which base, after attachment, is securely self-held in place. It'willalso :be seen that various-obvious changes maybe made iniform,dimenslonsan'd arangement of the' p'ar ts without departing from thespirit of the invenition :iienned in the appended claims.

I claim: '1. Afiexible one :piece base :for 'a bottle or the .zlikehaving a :lowermost bead thereon comprising .a flexible annular rim, aflexible brace integrally connecting diametrically opposite parts of therim and arranged with its lower surface substantially 'coplanar'with thelower surface of the rim, the .brace being laterally distortable out ofits .normal plane, the brace determining the maximum distance betweensaid diametrically opposed parts while permittin the ,parts of the rimon one sideof the braceto be twisted laterally out of the'normalpositions thereof in which the bead is overhung by the rim, that part ofthe rim on the other side of the brace being maintained by the braceagainst substantial change in size and shape, a series of equally spacedlugs projecting inwardly from the upper part of the rim and havingsquare corner edges thereon, a second series of equally spaced lugsprojecting inwardly from the lower part of the rim and having squarecorner edges thereon, each of the lugs of the second series being ofgreater height than the height of the upper lugs and being arrangedbetween and below a pair of the upper lugs to form a recess therebetweenfor the reception of the bead, the rim on one side of the brace beingsevered to form free ends thereon at a point substantially midwaybetween the endsof the brace.

-2. A flexible snap-on base for a beaded article comprising a splitflexible annular rim provided with two rows of inwardly projecting andvertically spaced apart rows of lugs arranged in alternating relationand a flexible brace integral with the rim holding diametricallyopopsite parts of the rim together against change in diameter and shapeexcept for a limited amount of vertical distortion.

3. A base according to claim 2 in'Whioh the rim part opposite the splitis devoid of lugs and is instead provided with an upstanding memberprojecting above the rim more than twice the height of the rim and ofsu'fiicient area to have decorative and identifying matter placedthereon, and of substantially the same thickness as that of the upperpartof the rim,

4. A base according to claim 2 in which the rim is of uniformheight,'the thickness of the brace is substantially the same'as theheight of the upper row of lugs and less'than the height of the lowerrow of lugs, and the corner edges of the lugs are sharp.

5. A base according to claim 2 in which the rim, brace and lugs aremolded in one piece of plastic material, the rim being provided with anupstanding member of greater height than that of the rim, of-greaterwidththan the width of the brace and of substantially the same thicknessas that of the brace, the thickness of the brace being a small fractionof the width of the brace, and'the width being approximately that of alug adjacent thereto, whereby the rim and brace are laterallydistortable and must be laterally distorted when the head of the articleis being inserted between the'rows of lugs.

PHILIP A. DERHAM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references'are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,103,065 Longyear July 14, 19141,174,700 Eastman Mar. '7, 1916

